Whicker: Is Rungvisai the next Pacquiao?

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Super flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, seen celebrating his knockout of Roman Gonzalez in their rematch in September at StubHub Center in Carson, defends his belt against Juan Francisco Estrada on Saturday at The Forum. (Chris Carlson/The Associated Press)

SANTA MONICA — He comes from a far country that is rich n boxing, if little else.

His definition of a meal was anything he could stomach. His southpaw stance and his clubbing right hand were the only bootstraps he could seize. Yet he made the trip from nowhere, with no baggage or ETA.

He had a better 2017 than anyone else in gloves, worldwide.

Now he is the headliner on HBO’s Boxing After Dark on Saturday night at The Forum.

He is Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. In case you were wondering if we would ever see another Manny Pacquiao, he’s your man.

Pacquiao slept in cardboard boxes in the parks of Manila. Rungvisai, as the story goes, walked 60 miles to get a job in Bangkok as a security guard and a garbage truck driver. That at least gave him half-eaten food.

Pacquiao started at 106 pounds. Rungvisai is the WBC champion at 115 pounds, and he fights Mexico’s Juan Francisco Estrada on Saturday on the “Superfly II” card.

Pacquiao used frenetic movement and he punched far above his weight. Rungvisai is calmer, but his force clearly demoralized Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, one of the world’s premier boxers until Rungvisai beat him twice last year.

There are differences. Rungvisai is 31. Pacquiao 39. Pacquiao started earlier and went further. There is no chance Rungvisai will be a welterweight as Pacquiao was. And Rungvisai is unlikely to command a pay-per-view audience, even though Saturday night is a massive step for his jockey-sized division.

But when Rungvisai appeared at Wild Card West on Tuesday to work out, he wore a medal featuring a mythical beast called a Garuda. It is the logo of Maha Vajiralongkorn, the king of Thailand. Rungvisai got it from the man itself. Last year, Rungvisai was voted the top athlete in Thailand.

Nine years ago, Rungvisai wasn’t even king of the street. He was one of hundreds of thousands of Thais who practiced Muay Thai. He would find more money in boxing, but only if he won.

“I went to an ordinary gym,” Rungvisai said, through an interpreter, “and a guy came to me and asked if I wanted to go to Japan to box. I flew there, without the proper training, and I lost two fights. Then I had a fight in Thailand and I told myself if I didn’t win, I would not do it again. Why should I fight if I can’t win a fight?.”

He got a draw with Sean Patavikorngym.

“That gave me the extra power to think I could fight,” he said. “After that fight, my girlfriend (now his fiancee) and I talked. There were two choices. I could be a full-time boxer, or I could go back to being a trash collector. I moved to a new gym, but I was not even dreaming that I would be a world champion. If I could fight on TV in Thailand and maybe get a regional belt, I would be happy.”

Rungvisai began his career 1-3-1. He is now 44-4-1. His first win over Gonzalez was a staggering upset. He had compiled a streak of 13 consecutive knockouts, but all but two of those fights were six-rounders.

He had fought outside Thailand or Japan only once, and that was a technical-decision loss in Mexico to Carlos Cuadras, after Rungvisai had cut him on a head butt.

Now Rungvisai was in Madison Square Garden against the least-disputed champion in boxing. Gonzalez was 45-0. But Gonzalez was also coming up from 112 to 115. Three pounds, on such miniature bodies, is quite a bit.

Rungvisai lost a point for head butting but won the first round 10-8 when he decked Gonzalez. In the end, he won a majority decision, getting a two-point edge on two cards and a tie on the other. A majority of fans and media disagreed.

The rematch happened Sept. 9 at StubHub Center and Rungvisai got his knockout, with two knockdowns in Round 4.

You may see references to a champion named Wisaksil Wangek. That is Rungvisai’s real name. In Thailand, it’s common to use pseudonyms based on gyms or sponsors. There was a WBA minimum-weight champ named Knockout CP Freshmart.

Nobody refers to Walker Smith or Arnold Cream, the birth names of Sugar Ray Robinson and Jersey Joe Walcott. Or Marion Morrison Airport in Santa Ana, for that matter.

Estrada is a brilliant ex-champ who pushed Gonzalez in his prime, losing a decision at the Sports Arena in 2012. But he, too, is coming up to 115.

“I think I will have more power,” Rungvisai said.

Gonzalez suspects the same. He warned Estrada not to stand in front of Rungvisai.